Eyyy hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Next chapter will be updated on Saturday as usual. But this chapter, oh man, this is where things get a bit more interesting. Please review!
~CWA
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
A Few Months Later
Hiro Hamada
My hands are trembling a bit as I push the large blue trash bin that's filled with my creation. I'd never admit that I'm nervous, but it's hard not to be. There are so many people here and I'm not exactly the oldest or brightest or… anything really. I know I'm a genius, but there are people who've already had more experience than me. What if I don't get chosen? I briefly glance toward my friends and brothers (plural because at this point, Danny is practically my brother too. Plus he's Tadashi's boyfriend so at some point if the two ever married, then he'd legally be my brother anyway). Tadashi walks beside me, giving me a comforting smile. Danny is on the other side, two bins with one stacked on top of the other roll in front of him. He pushes them with ease with one hand. The other hand pushes another set of two. Show off.
"Wow, there's some pretty cool tech here," Tadashi chimes, "...Are you nervous?"
"Please," I scoff, "You're talking to an ex-bot fighter. It takes a lot more than this to shake me."
Totally not nervous. Not a chance. There's a lump forming in my throat that I have to swallow down, but I'm… I'm not going to admit that I'm nervous.
"He's totally nervous," Danny chuckles, causing Honey Lemon to giggle.
"Am not," I protest weakly.
"Don't be nervous," Honey Lemon coos, "Your tech is amazing- tell him GoGo!"
"Stop whining, woman up."
She pops her bubble gum with that statement, but all my protests about not being nervous fall on deaf ears. Danny winks at me slightly, letting me know that he's just teasing but I'm not sure about the others.
"What do you need, little man," Wasabi offers, "Deodorant? A fresh pair of underpants? I come prepared."
Okay- ew. I resist the urge to shiver as we all enter the backstage area and park all of the bins by the curtains near the stage. Any minute now, it's going to be my turn to go up there. And speak. In front of a lot of people. Fred plops down on the edge of the hidden section of the stage,
"I haven't done laundry in six months. One pair lasts me four days. I go front, I go back, I go inside-out and then I go front-and-back… It's called recycling."
I don't try to hide my shiver of disgust that time and Wasabi looks like he's about to puke. Even GoGo comments on Fred's slightly unhygienic habit while Tadashi just gives him a thumbs up,
"That is disgusting, but amazing."
"Don't encourage him," Danny gags, nudging Tadashi lightly, "His head is big enough as it is."
Before we have a chance to continue our conversation, the lights dim and a voice announcer calls my name. Crap. This is it. My hands shake slightly as everyone wishes me good luck and I try my best to give them reassuring smiles, though Danny and Tadashi only share knowing looks as if they know how nervous I am. Honey Lemon snaps a selfie of all of us together and Danny even goes as far as putting up a peace sign and putting his free hand around Tadashi's shoulders.
It's not long before nearly everyone but my two brothers are with me. I'm slightly reassured by their cheers of encouragement, but there's still this unsettling feeling in my gut. My whole future depends on this. If I make one mistake, it's game over. And what if I do get in? What if I get in and mess the scholarship up? What if I get bad grades and get kicked out? This school can be everything I've ever dreamed. Allow me to build anything. I can't loose that.
"...Hey, what's wrong," Tadashi speaks to me softly, leaning down my level and I can feel Danny clasp a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I just… really want to go here," I say softly.
"You got this," Tadashi and Danny end up saying in sync, both of them patting me gently on the back.
As Tadashi begins to leave, Danny lingers a brief moment longer. He lowers himself to my level and looks me in the eyes, his gaze intense enough to make me know that whatever he's about to say is something to take to heart.
"Remember Hiro," Danny says, "Your future is what you make of it."
His voice is like steel. It's the most serious I've ever seen him before, but just in a flash, it's gone as he smiles like the goofy brother he is and ruffles my hair,
"Now go get 'em tiger."
Despite his words and even Tadashi's, I end up heading onto the stage with the microphone clasped closely to my chest, my hands shaking as my shoulders hunch over, making me appear smaller than I am. My eyes are a bit wide with nerves and my breathing is hitched and uneven as I find myself standing center-staged.
"Uhh hi, my name is Hiro," I wince as the microphone gives some feedback before continuing, "Sorry… My name is Hiro Hamada. I've been working on something I think is pretty cool… I hope you like it..."
I put on the neurotransmitter. I take the small mircobot out of my pocket and proudly hold it up,
"This is a mircrobot!"
One man in the audience leaves, making me falter slightly before my eyes go to my family and friends. Danny and Tadashi are both giving me signals to breath and take it easy. Taking their advice, I take a deep breath and continue on with more confidence,
"It doesn't look like much but when it links up with the rest of its pals…."
With a simple thought, it doesn't take long for all of the other microbots to swarm in, making their way through the crowd like some sort of tidal wave and joining me up on stage. I release the small microbot, allowing it to join with the others. I notice that more people have caught onto my project, gathering around the stage with cheers and applause of their own, building my confidence up as I continue.
"-Things get a little more interesting. Microbots are controlled with this neurotransmitter," I take it off and allow them to fall before putting it back on, "I think of what I want them to do and they do it."
A waving hand forms in my mind and instantly the microbots form just that, waving at the crowd as I smile, my chest puffing up with pride. There's a strut in my step as I face the crowd,
"The applications of this tech is limitless. Construction- what used to take teams of people working for months or years-"
The microbots swarm together and begin to form the building I have in mind as they move up to the top of it,
"-Can now be accomplished by one person…. And that's just the beginning."
My chest swells with pride as I see the gathering, engaged crowd around me. I've caught their attention and more so, they genuinely seem interested in my tech. Oh man, this could be it. This could really mean getting in. This could open the door to my future!
"How about transportation," I step off the ledge of the building and allow the microbots to move across the room, "Microbots can move anything, anywhere with ease."
The swarm moves me upside down from the ceiling by my ankles, allowing me to give a swift high five to Tadashi. For a moment, I falter when I notice that Danny has disappeared and gone off somewhere. Noticing my look, Tadashi just gives me a small sheepish shrug, signaling he's not sure where Danny went either. I know that Danny wouldn't just leave me without any reason- he's a good guy like that. I can't help but feel a bit sad. But still, the show must go on and my whole future is riding on this so I can't let the disappearance of one person let me down.
"If you can think it, the microbots can do it. The only limit is your imagination. Microbots!"
I land back on the stage with ease, my chest heaving with heavy, deep breaths as I face the crowd with a big grin on my face and my arms spread wide. They erupt into applause and I notice that Danny has reappeared into the audience, whispering something to Tadashi in a frantic manner briefly before he turns toward the stage and gives me a huge smile, making sure to the be the only one in the audience who makes the most noise for me, cheering as loud as he can.
The second I get off the stage, people still cheering, my friends and family rush over to me. Tadashi and Danny give me a fist bump explosion handshake with pride, telling me at how proud they are of me. The others follow suit quickly, gushing over how well I did and hugging me tightly.
"Where did you go," I whisper to Danny as they others continue to cheer, causing him to make a face.
"Saw someone I know," he explains, "Long story short, he's not a nice guy. Lost track of him in the crowd though."
"Hiro," Honey Lemon's cheers drown out our conversation before I can ask Danny any more questions, "that was amazing!"
I see Tadashi briefly parts to whisper to Danny, who whispers back frantically, probably discussing about where Danny went. I briefly catch the word fruitloop in the mix of the conversation, but I'm unsure.
"Ah yes, that was amazing," an unfamiliar voice chimes, "Your tech could be revolutionary."
"Alistair Krei," I whisper as I turn to see his face.
Alistair isn't some average joy. He's a millionaire. Billionaire even. A technological genius. He makes money every second from just talking to people, I bet…. So why is here talking to me? Despite my own excitement over meeting someone like Alistair, I can see that Tadashi isn't too happy either. Danny clasps my shoulder tightly, his eyes looking over Alistair critically as if he doesn't trust him.
"May I," he takes one of the microbots, "I want your microbots at Krei Tech."
My eyes get wide. He's kidding, right? There's no way a man as famous and rich as Alistair Krei wants my microbots at his company. This could be huge. I whisper a slight shut up in disbelief, but don't get a chance to answer him as Professor Callaghan walks up with narrowed eyes,
"He's right. Your microbots are an inspired piece of tech," the Professor says, "You can continue to develop them or you can sell them to a man whose guided by his own self interests..."
A small conflicting feeling settles in my stomach as the two bicker about what I should do. It takes all the strength I have to say no to Krei and I'm so distraught about whether or not I made the right choice that it's Danny who gets my microbot away from Krei before he walks off with it, leaving me and my brothers alone. We all share slightly unnerved looks from that exchange, but before I can comment on it, Danny gains our attention as he looks toward someone else,
"Vlad," he hisses.
There's so much venom in his voice, so much pure hatred that it takes me off guard. Everyone looks a bit surprised, their eyes wide as they look to Danny. Even Tadashi clasps Danny's shoulder in a comforting manner, unsure what to say or do. Though Danny isn't focused on anyone but who he's staring at. There's such a burning hate in his eyes that I'm not even sure if the person in front of me is Danny. Danny doesn't get angry- not like this. He looks downright murderous. As if whomever he's angry just takes one wrong step, he'd kill them without a second's hesitation.
I'm not sure what scares me more. The fact that Danny's like this or the fact that the guy whose making Danny like this is heading straight toward us. He's older. Older than the Professor or Krei. His hair is gray-white and pulled into a tight ponytail. I'm surprised that a guy who looks like he's like a hundred even has that much hair. He wears a snappy suit, looking slightly out of place in the sea of people with jeans and casual shirts. He walks with a cane and a slight limp, hinting at a degenerating health. Yet there's something in his eyes. A steeliness and hatred that looks out of place. Other worldly. Unsettling.
I can't help but back away from him slightly as the man walks toward us, his head head high as if he owns the world. A glance to the others tell me that they are just as unnerved by his presence as I am. Though Danny doesn't seem unsettled. He just looks angry. His stance is tense as he takes a step forward toward the man, pushing me and Tadashi behind him slightly in a protective manner.
"Vladimir Masters," Danny spits, "Never thought I'd see your old ass up and about around here… I thought I made it clear to stay the hell away from me?"
Vladimir Masters? One of the richest, if not the richest men in the world? Known for being exclusive and mysterious? Who just appeared basically out of nowhere in the business world and disappeared just as quickly about two or so years ago? It's hard not to know the name when that's all that's talked about in the papers and on every talk show there is. This is the guy Danny knows? The one he ran off to find or talk to or whatever?
Fred seems a bit startled himself, whispering a slight woah. The other mutter a bit to themselves and Tadashi goes to pull Danny back, but Danny stands firmly, not budging a single inch as he stares Vlad down. Vlad seems like he could care less, waving off Danny's comment,
"Oh come now, Daniel, you should know by now that I have much more on my mind than just watching over you. I'm a businessman too, you know? And that microbot is a very interesting piece of tech."
He eyes the microbot in Danny's hand and Danny hands it off to me without a second thought, never backing down or looking away from Vlad as he continues to glare. A small growl emits from his throat and Vlad sighs slightly shaking his head,
"Oh very well, I suppose money can't buy you everything- after all, it never bought you."
He leaves without another word. It's strange that he doesn't sound too concerned about the microbots, not even disappointed. He just waves it all off as if he's going to get it eventually anyway. But I suppose that's how most rich guys act. Not that I'd ever give my tech to someone like him. Anyone who gets Danny this upset is not a good guy- not by far.
For a brief moment, however, I swear that Vlad and Professor Callaghan pass each other in the crowd with knowing, familiar looks.
By the time that Professor Callaghan lets me know that I'm in, Danny's already disappeared again. He didn't give any explanation about Vlad- I doubt that he would. He just gave us a brief I need to calm down before leaving, heading off in the direction of the gardens with his hands shaking. Whatever Vlad did, it had to be bad. I mean really bad for Danny to be this upset at it. For a brief moment, I wonder if Tadashi and I should follow him, but Tadashi just shakes his head,
"He needs to be alone," he whispers, leading me away from the group and toward the balcony as the others head off with Aunt Cass to the cafe for free food.
Tadashi leads me with a hand on my back, a smile comforting smile on my face. I know I should be happy I got in. A part of me is overjoyed. But my mind still drifts back to Danny. He's such a good guy. Calm, level-headed, funny. He's mischievous. Loves pranks and witty banter. But he's not short-tempered. He's not an angry guy.
"You're still worried about Danny, aren't you," Tadashi whispers as we settle at the edge of the balcony, "...I'm worried too, ya know? And I'll be sure to talk to him later about it because right now, he just needs some space."
"...You really like him, don't you 'Dashi," I can't help but whisper, causing him to give me a small smile.
"Yeah, I do, who knows? Maybe one day it'll go into something more… You like him too, don't you? I mean- obviously not in a romantic way but..."
He trials off slightly causing me to snort, but it's hard to laugh when I know Danny is still out there. My hands clutch the edge of the balcony tightly. I can see the entire garden from here and in the distance, I can make out Danny's form as he shouts into the sky and punches a few tress. Ouch. That's going to hurt. I rub my hands a bit from just seeing it. I wonder if Tadashi saw it too- though I'm sure he did.
"He's… He's like my brother," I explain, "No- he is my brother. Just as much as you are. And it hurts that he's so upset… I know his parents died more recently than ours did. I know his girlfriend cheated on him or something. I know that his ex-boyfriend died. I know he doesn't have it easy, I know he's been through a lot, but he's not… He's not an angry person. Not like that. That was so… vengeful."
I shiver slightly causing Tadashi's expression to soften slightly as he pulls me close,
"Hey, he'll be okay. He's Danny…. And tonight's supposed to be about you, big shot."
He gives me a nudge and a smile, causing me to snort as I pull away from him with a big, cocky grin on my face,
"I know what you're going to say," I point out, before lowering my voice in my best Tadashi impression, "I should be proud of myself for using my gift for something important."
Tadashi rolls his eyes,
"I was going to tell you your fly was down for the whole show."
I snort, muttering a haha very funny. But a glance down tells me that he's telling the truth. My zipper is down. And probably was for the whole show. For a yelp, I zip it back up before giving Tadashi a swift gentle hit to the shoulder, causing him to laugh for a moment before the silence over comes us. We don't get many moments like this anymore. With him spending time with Danny and going to college and me just disappearing to join bot fights, we don't get nearly as many brotherly moments as we used to. It's almost nice.
"...Welcome to Nerd School," Tadashi welcomes me warmly, a fond smile on his face causing me to give him a small smile in return.
"Thanks… I uh… I wouldn't be here without you… So thanks for not giving up on me, I guess."
Now it's getting slightly too touchy-feely with emotions for a brotherly moment, more so than I like. But I'm saved from talking anymore when a loud siren goes off, bringing our attention back to the building. We run back as quick as we can to see the entire building on fire. The flames shoot up toward the sky and I can't help but stop and stare in horror…. What could have caused this? It's… it's just a large fire. What about the people?
"Professor Callaghan is still in there," one of the female students shouts to Tadashi, causing him to snap toward the building.
My eyes widen. No. No! I've already lost my parents, I won't loose him too. I grab him by the jacket, pulling him back, but he shakes his head, his eyes wide with fear.
"I have to go, he's still in there. Someone has to save him."
He slips out of my grasp and runs toward the building. I try to keep up to him, but I can't. I'm so focused on him that I barely even see a familiar blur run toward Tadashi.
"Hiro, get back! I'll get him!"
Danny. No. No no no no no no…. I can't lose both of them. My voice dies in my throat and I'm not even able to scream as I see them both run into the building. My feet try to run after them, but my feet stumble over each other, causing me to fall at the base of the stairs just as it explodes, sending me backwards toward the ground. My ears are ringing and my vision's blurry. My heart is pounding rapidly in my chest. There's a pain shooting up my back from the impact. No no no no.. They can't be gone, they just can't be.
Yet I'm still able to see Danny and Tadashi, standing there just within in the flames, relief flooding through my system that they're alive, with a faint green glow around them before I black out entirely.
